Liquid-heating device



Sept. 18, 1928. 1,684,630

A. J. LAMBERT LIQUID HEATING nfivrcm Filed May 18, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ZZ BW' dfi d Sept. is, 1928.

A. J. LAMBERT LIQUID HEATING DEVICE Filed may 18. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 18, 1928.

uman stares.

PATENT OFFICE,

ALBERT .ioniv LAMBERT, or Lennon, ENGLAND, Assrenon. or ONE-HALF To Tm:- LAMBERT HEATER &. ENGINEERING oonranv LIMITED, or LONDON, ENGLAND, A.

BRITISH. COMPANY.

IiIQUTD-HEATING DEVICE.

Application filed. May 18, 1927, Serial No.

This invention relates to liquid-heating devices and has for its object to provide an improved construction of device of the type comprising shallow rectangular cells throughwhich the liquid is caused to flow, preferably in succession, from the inlet to the outlet of the device; the heat is supplied to the liquid by a flame, for example a gas or oil burner, or by internal electrical resistances, and when a flame is used, those Walls of the cells which transmit the heat are preferably corrugated. The other or exposed sides and edges of the cells are flat and are provided with an enamel or other smooth, glossy surface, to impart a tiled appearance to the whole.

The present invention comprises a heater of the type above described, wherein some or all of the individual cells, and/or groups of cells, are secured together by readily detachable connections, such as unions or stub-nipples; the advantage of this construction is that. if: any cleaning or repair is necessary, and such operations usually affect only. one or a few cells, the particular cells can be readily detached for treatment or" for replacement with a minimum of trouble and cost.

According'to another feature ofthis invention. a heater as above described has the detachable connections so arranged, for example, the elements of a union are screwed on to its pipes, as to be adjustable in position relatively to the groups of cells, so that the assembly of the complete device is muchv facilitated. 7

According to another feature of this invention, a heater as above described, and comprising two or more superposed layers of cells, has each lower layer connected to and supported from the layer above it by readily detachable connections, situated, for exam pic. at each end of the layer.

According to another feature of this invention the outlet pipe from the heater is connected to its cell by a union which is pro 'vided with a lock-nut to co-operate with the union nut in order that an adequately tight joint may be secured whilst providing a swivelling' joint, and the parts locked, so that the swivelling' action does not affect the tightness of the joint.

According to another feature of'this invention, a heater as above described comprises end cells, two sets of side cells whereof the cells of each set are permanently connect- 1B2,358, and in Great Britain May'2, 1927.

ed togetherbut are detaehably connected to the said end cells, andjone or more. layers: of top cells, which layers. are. detach-ably con. nected to the side cells, at least oneof; said.- layers having its cells detachable from one another,

This invention also; comprises the specific construction of heater hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drarvw ings, in which- Fi'gure'l is a perspective-view showing the. complete device;

Figure 2'is a central sectional view" of one end of the heater; and

Figure 3 is a plan in section on thelin'e; 3-3 of Figure 2) Like referencev characters indicatelike. parts: throughout the drawings.

Referring first to Figure 1, the complete device comprises a cellular structure, indicated generally by the reference numeral 10, which is carried in a trough-like member 11 supported by brackets 12. These brackets also carry adjustable brackets; 13 for: a. gasburner group of cells: constituting the a or equivalent device 14, and arms 15: at the lower end of the brackets lfiz are arranged to carry a removable tray which is not: shown in the drawing. The liquid iszsirpplied tov the cellular-structure through an inlet-pipe or stop-cock 16 and the hotl'iquid' is delivered at the open outlet-pipe 17. The. pipe 18; communicating with the trough I1 is. used to drain oil condensation products which may collect therein. As will: be seen from this figure, the exposed surfaces of the cells of the structure 10 are rectangular and flat, and they are provided with. an enanielled or other suit-able surface to simulate the appearance of tiles. I

The assemblage of cells 10 is reversible end-for-end in the part 11, and the. brackets 13 for the burner 14; are also interchangeable, so that the burner itself can be reversed, thereby facilitating the installation of the heater in that it can suit any arrangement of gas and water supply-pipes. 7 Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, the. de-

tail construction of the cells and the method of securing them together is there illustrated. The end cell 19 has the supply-pipe 16l'con- V nected to it by means of union, one. element' of the union 20 being secured in the flat wall of the cell 19 by turning over the end 21 against the shoulderprovided by the. screwthreadedpart which is engaged by the nut 22. Alternatively, the part 20 may be secured by anut screwed on to its inner end to grip the wall of the cell 19 between itand the enlarged screw-threaded part of the element.

The cells constituting the sides of the structure 10 are preferably permanently connected together to form a set or group, communication between adjacent cells being provided by tubes soldered or otherwise permanently secured to them. The end cell 19 aforesaid communicates with the cell 23 situated at the end of one of the side groups by "means of a stub-nipple 24 (see Figure 3) so as to provide a detachable connection. This member comprises a tube with right and lefthand threads and a non-circular, for example hexagonal, formation at the middle of its length, so that it can be screwed into each of the cells to draw them together ;v the Walls of the cells maybe reinforced or thickened in any convenientmanner to provide adequate engagement for. the threadsof the nipple.

F The cell 19 is connected to the endmost cell 25 of the other Side group of cells by a similar device 26, but this device does not provide a through passage for the liquid being heated, as it is desired that the liquid should circulate The advantage of using a device which is like a union or nipple but 1s merely blanked off, is that the liquid has ready access to all parts of it so that it is effectively cooled, and is not damaged or rende'red undetachable by the action of the beaten it. Alternatively, the device 26 may be open if it be desired that the liquid should flow through the two side groups of cells in parallel instead of in serles.

An end cell opposite to the cell 19 is connected to the two side groups bystubnipples such as 24, so that a path of circulation is provided from the'pipe 16 through the cells 19, 23 and the remainder of that side group to the other end cell,thence by the other side group to the cell 25. From the cell 25 the liquid passes to the end cell of the top layer as shown most clearly in Figure 2.

The inner wall of the cell 25 is rovided with a union or bush 27 which may e internally-threadcd, which receives an elbow-tube 28, the other end ofthis tubebeing upwardly direetedand screw-threaded as shown in Figure 2. The externally-coned member 29 of a union screwed on to the end of a pipe '28 and secured by a lock-nut 30. The co- 28 and 32, so-th'at the top layer of cells can be assembled in the correct posit-ion with regard to the side layers. The bush 27 aforesaid also permits of adjustment in a horizontal direction in a similar manner. y

. The various cells of the top layer are secured together by unions or stub-nipples, as shown at 35, so that the liquid passing from the cell 25 to the cell 34 can circulate along the top-most layer of cells to the further 1 end of the heater-body.

i A second lower layer of cellsris also provided in the heater, and these are suspended from the top layer. As shown in Figure 2, a union connection'is provided between the lower side of a cell of the top layer and the upper sideof a cell of the bottom layer. The

particular union illustrated in Figure 2 at 36 is blanked off in order that there shall be no passage through it, but the corresponding union at the other end is open to permit the liqud to flow from the top layer to the lower layer. The union is constituted by an internally-coned part which is soldered or other wise secured to the cell 34, and the c0+operating externally-coned part of theunion is se-' cured in the upper wall of the cell 37 by nuts 7 38 which lock the union after its effective length has been adjusted as desired.

The "use of two unions for supporting the lower layer of cells, whether these unions are of the second layer immediately beneath it 3 and thence through all the cells of that layer to the end cell 37 as shown in Figure 2. In some cases yet another layer or layers may be provided, these being secured each to the layer above it in the manner already described, so that the liquid circulates through all of the cells. 1 w

The outlet for the heated liquid is arranged as shown in Figure 2, where the outlet-pipe 17 is connected by a union to the cell. The

union element 40 is soldered or otherwise secured to the wall of the cell, and the externally-coned part 41 of the union fitting into it is secured by the union nut 42. Itis desirable that the pipe 17 should be free to swivel, and the union nut 42 is accordingly screwed up sufliciently to make a tightjoint' without looking the pipe 17 andthenut 42 is then locked by'the lock-nut 43.

In some instancesit is more convenient, as for example when a two-way orthree-way cock is to be fitted on the outlet pipe, to arrange that the outlet-pipe opens from a cell in I in the top layer, and in this case the union 29, 31 provides communication from a side-cell to the end cell of the bottom layer; this layer is supported, as before, from the top layer, and the liquid passes from the side-cells, through it, to the top layer.

It will be appreciated that when the liquid circulates through all the cells in succession, its temperature increases during its passage, and if, for example, the heater tends to be come furred-up owing to the hardness of the water, it is only those cells where the temperature is highest that become seriously affected, that is to say, in the construction illustrated, the cell 37 and possibly its neighbouring cell. The present construction renders it very easy to remove these cells for cleaning or replacement. This is eifected'by disconnecting the union 20 and the outlet-pipe 17. The whole body of cells 10 can then be re-' moved. The union 31 is then undone and the two top layers can be lifted off from the side and end cells, and thelower layer of cells is then exposed. It canthen be removed from the top layer by undoing the union 36 and the corresponding union at the other end and then each of the cells of the bottom layer (and also the top layer) is readily accessible and detachable from its companions by means of the unions or nipples connecting them.

Similarly, the end cells are readily detachable from the side groups if it should be required to replace them for any reason, and the whole can be as readily reassembled.

If desired the various cells of the side groups can be made detachable from one anand groups of cells and serving to support a lower layer of cells at the top of the'heater from the layer of cells above said lower layer, the said detachable connectors for connecting the said layers of cells at the top of the heater and for connecting the said layers to other of the cells being also lengthwise adjustable,

and said detachable connectors also serving to provide communication in series through the individual cells and groups of cells from one terminal point to another, an inlet con nection for the cell at oneterminal point, an r layers one above another. at the top of the heater, said cells being of shallow rectangular form with flat exterior surfaces and corrugated inner surfaces, detachable connectors for connecting the individual cells and groups of cells and serving to support a lower layer of cells at the top of the heater from the layer .of cells above said lower layer, the said detachable connectors for connecting the said layer of cells at the top of the heater and for connecting the said layers to other of the cells being also lengthwise adjustable, and said detachable connectors also serving to provide communication in series through the individual cells and'g roups of cells from one terminal point to another, an inlet connection for the cell at one terminal point, outlet connection for the cell at the other terminal point, a frame for sup porting the cells and a heating element carried bysaid frame beneath the cells.v

3. A heater comprising groups of interconnected cells forming sides of the heater, a plurality of individual cells arranged in-a plurality of layers one above another at the top of the heater, said cells. being of shallow rectangular form with flat exterior surfaces and corrugated inner surfaces, detachable connectors for connecting the individual cells and groups of cells and serving to support a lower layer of cells at the top of the heater from the layer of cells above said lower layer, the said detachable connectors for connecting the said layers of cells at the top of the heaterand for connecting-the said layers to other of the cells being also lengthwise adjustable, and said detachable connectors also serving to provide communication in series through the individual cells and groups of cells from one terminal point to another, an inlet connection for the cell at one terminal point, an outlet connection for the cell at the other terminal point, said outlet connection comprising a union element on the cell, an outlet pipe.

a complementary union'ele-ment thereon, a

union nut. for connecting said union elements and a lock nut to cooperate with said union nut, a frame, for supporting the cells and a heating element carried neath the cells. I In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ALBERT JOHN LAMBERT.

by said frame beg 

